Anchor, Reporter
Emani Payne is an Emmy-Award-winning journalist who is happy to be the FOX 56 6:30 p.m. co-anchor and 7 p.m. anchor.
Before moving to the Bluegrass State, Emani spent nearly two years as a reporter in Raleigh, North Carolina. While in the state’s Capitol, Emani covered several major stories including one-on-one interviews with first lady Jill Biden on Election Day, a one-on-one interview with Donald Trump Jr. while his father President Donald Trump was in the hospital fighting COVID, and one-on-one interviews with Sen. Cory Booker.
Emani was also on the ground during live wall-to-wall coverage in the middle of the George Floyd protests and was part of the only crew to get video live on the air of protesters tearing a confederate statue down in front of the Capitol and dragging it through the streets of downtown.
Before her time in Raleigh, Emani spent four years in Waco, Texas, as a weekend evening news anchor/reporter.
During her time there, Emani was known for her exclusive coverage and owning the big story. Her exclusive reporting on a man’s wrongful conviction led to him getting a new trial and her reporting on the issue went on to be featured in a Netflix documentary.
Her exclusive coverage of a bullying epidemic in area schools led to two new district mentoring programs being created. Additionally, Emani’s reporting on a single mom who lost her home in a fire led to the community gifting the woman a new home just in time for Christmas. Her exclusive coverage of a young girl whose insurance company wouldn’t cover eyesight saving coverage led to the community covering the costs for the procedure.
Emani was the only reporter to receive video of a city police officer’s son shooting and killing his neighbor. At the time, no case was filed on the incident, but after Emani’s exclusive reporting on it, which went viral, an investigation was launched.
She was also on the ground during several wall-to-wall weather coverage events from hurricanes to tornadoes including during the historic storm Hurricane Harvey.
Emani received an Emmy for her coverage of the Buffalo Soldiers and was also honored by the Broadcast Educators Association for her coverage of Ebola reaching the United States.
She enjoys storytelling that gives a voice to the voiceless, creates change, and holds officials accountable. Emani is excited to bring her passion of storytelling to central Kentucky.
Emani is an active member of the National Association of Black Journalists.
When Emani is not on the air, she enjoys shopping, trying new restaurants, and lounging at the beach.
If you have a story or restaurant tip for Emani or if you just want to say hello, email her at epayne@FOX56News.com
